JPS6046498B2 - How to make a movable electrode member for a key switch - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a movable electrode member of a key switch.

First, before explaining the method for manufacturing the movable electrode member of a key switch according to the present invention, an example of the structure of a key switch used in a general capacitor switch will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. .

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a keyboard device in which a large number of key switches are arranged in parallel, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a part of the keyboard device. 3 is a key stem fixed to the key top 2 so as to move up and down together with the key top 2; 4 is a key guide for vertically guiding the key stem 3 attached to the upper frame 1; 5 is a respective key stem A printed circuit board on which pairs of fixed electrodes 6, 6 are formed at positions corresponding to the key switches, and 7 is a rubber inverted cup-shaped elastic member interposed between the upper surface of the printed circuit board 5 and the lower surface of the key stem 3. It is a member that presses and supports the key top 2 and the key stem 3 upward, and also supports the pair of fixed electrodes 6, 6.
A small piece of sponge material 8 of a predetermined thickness and shape is attached to the ceiling surface of the small piece of sponge material 8, and a small piece of sponge material 8 having a predetermined thickness and shape is attached to the lower surface of the small piece of sponge material 8, which faces the pair of fixed electrodes 6, 6. A movable electrode plate 9 made of a conductive thin film coated with an insulating coating is attached, and a movable electrode member is constituted by this small piece of sponge material 8 and the movable electrode plate 9, of which the movable electrode plate 9
constitutes a switch portion of a capacitor switch that utilizes the pair of fixed electrodes 6, 6 and changes in capacitance, and a small piece of sponge material 8 provides a good key touch during key operation and also serves as a switch for the capacitor switch. It has a function to prevent chattering phenomenon. In the structure of such a key switch, the movable electrode member is made by bonding a small piece of sponge material 8 and a movable electrode plate 9 for each key switch, and further applying an adhesive or the like to the ceiling surface of the inverted cup-shaped elastic member 7. Therefore, if they are installed, the work efficiency is extremely poor, which naturally increases the cost, and furthermore, it also creates a difference in performance between the key switches in the keyboard device.

Furthermore, since it is necessary to maintain uniform surface contact between the fixed electrodes 6, 6 and the movable electrode plate 9 at all times during switching operation, the movable electrode member was manufactured using the conventional method described above. It is difficult to maintain surface contact, and it is undeniable that a gap occurs between the movable electrode members, which often causes problems in switching operation. The present invention takes these points into consideration and improves workability. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a movable electrode member that can be moved upwardly, maintain uniform contact with fixed electrodes 6, 6 at all times, and ensure reliable switching operation.

How to make a movable electrode member of a key switch according to the present invention with reference to FIGS. 3a-e below! Explain the law. As shown in FIG. 3a, a thin film 12 of flexible polyester that does not pass through an adhesive 11, which will be described later, is spread over the entire surface of a piece of soft elastic material 10, such as a sponge, having a predetermined thickness.
are thermally welded to perform a treatment to prevent the adhesive 11 from penetrating into the soft elastic material 10.

This process is usually carried out using a special machine of this type called a laminator, but it may be necessary to deform the soft elastic material 10 during the heat welding process, or to apply different tension to one or both of the soft elastic material 10 and the thin film 12. Proceeding with this welding work in a taut state causes wrinkles to remain on the surface after the process is completed, so this must be avoided as much as possible. Next, as shown in FIG. 3b, a predetermined pattern (circular in this case) is formed at multiple locations on one side of the first sealing member 13, which is relatively strong and does not pass through the adhesive 11.
Adhesive 11 is applied using the printing technique, and this adhesive 1
1 is applied to the surface of the soft elastic material 10 to which the thin film 12 is welded, and the soft elastic material 10 is gradually pasted from one end thereof without deforming the soft elastic material 10.

After this operation, the soft elastic material 10 is prevented from being deformed by relatively rough handling due to the rigidity of the first sealing member 13 to which it is attached by the adhesive 11. Next, the remaining surface of the soft elastic material 10 that has been subjected to such treatment is subjected to a similar welding treatment of a thin polyester film 12 and a second
The sealing member 14 is pasted, but this time, as mentioned above, there is less risk of deformation of the soft elastic material 10 than in the previous process, so the above process is relatively simple, but the deformation of the soft elastic material 10 As before, the work is performed to eliminate wrinkles as much as possible on the polyester thin film 12, and the predetermined shapes formed with the adhesive 11 at multiple locations on the second sealing member 14 are Each pattern part must be attached so as to correspond to each pattern part on the first sealing member 13 with the soft elastic material 10 in between, as shown in FIG. 3c. Next, in the laminate having a flat multilayer structure obtained through the above steps, as shown in FIG. 10
At the same time, the side without the insulation coating of a conductive thin film 15 made of aluminum or the like with an insulation coating on one side is pasted on the surface where the patterned adhesive 11 remains.

Although this work can be done relatively easily due to the strength of the first seal member 13 attached to the side other than the second seal member 14 to be removed, it is still possible to perform the work in a careless state. Similarly, it is impossible to leave a deforming force on the soft elastic material 10 side or, conversely, to cause wrinkles on the conductive film side. After such a process, the laminate having the multilayer structure includes patterned portions of the adhesive 11 on both upper and lower surfaces of the soft elastic material 10, and has adhesive around the patterned portions, as shown in FIG. 3e. The first sealing member 13 and the conductive thin film 1 are sized to have a peripheral edge where no agent 11 is present.
5 and punched out in the vertical direction.

Thereafter, the first sealing member piece 13a that remains attached to one side of the inverted cup-shaped elastic member 7 of the key switch described above when adhering to the ceiling surface is removed. The above is an embodiment of the method for manufacturing a movable electrode member of a key switch according to the present invention. As explained above, in this embodiment, the adhesive 11 is applied in a predetermined pattern, and the movable electrode is punched out to a size that has a peripheral edge where no adhesive 11 is present around the pattern. As shown in FIG. 4, the adhesive 11 is a soft elastic material 10.
As in the conventional movable electrode member obtained by simply pulling out the material coated over the entire upper and lower surfaces of the electrode, the conductive thin films 15 adhere to each other at the peripheral edges of the upper and lower surfaces due to the viscosity of the adhesive 11. There is no risk of deformation into a curved surface,
Therefore, the state of contact with the fixed electrodes 6, 6 can be maintained uniformly at all times, and the switching operation can be ensured over a long period of time.

In addition, in this embodiment, the polyester thin film 12 is heat-welded on both sides of the soft elastic material 10 in advance, and then the pressure-sensitive adhesive 11 is simply applied directly to the surface of the soft elastic material 10 to attach it. There is no risk that the adhesive 11 will penetrate into the inside of the soft elastic material 10 and impede the function of the soft elastic material 11 as the steps are repeated, thereby preventing the chattering phenomenon and realizing a switch with good key touch. be able to.

Furthermore, since the conductive thin film 15 is attached to the small piece of sponge material using an adhesive, a hardened layer due to the adhesive is not formed when an adhesive is used, and the conductive thin film 15 becomes insulated during long-term use. It is possible to provide a high quality switch by reliably adhering to the surface of the planar conductive pattern through the film, and the entire movable electrode is coated with the adhesive 1 applied in advance.
1, it is easy to install and replace the switch, and when manufacturing a large number of switches, the quality of the switches can be easily made uniform.

The manufacturing method according to the present invention described based on the above embodiment is not limited to the process order and detailed process contents of the above embodiment, and for example, the manufacturing method of the first and second seal members 13, It is also possible to process the adhesive 11 once coated on the soft elastic material 10 by applying it directly to the surface of the soft elastic material 10 using a known printing technique.
Of course, the first sealing member 14 is no longer necessary, and it is also possible to reverse the order in which the first sealing member 13 and the conductive thin film 15 are attached. Instead of forming a single pattern on the key stem 3, it is also possible to subdivide the electrode into dots as long as the desired adhesive force is obtained.Also, such a movable electrode member can be directly attached to the lower surface of the key stem 3 to form a key. A coil spring may be interposed between the top 2 and the frame 1. As explained above, in the present invention, the adhesive is applied in a predetermined pattern, and the movable electrode is punched out in a size that has a peripheral edge where no adhesive is present around the pattern, so that the movable electrode can be There is no risk of the conductive thin films adhering to each other due to the viscosity of the adhesive on the peripheral edges of both sides and deforming into a curved shape, and this allows the movable electrode to maintain uniform contact with the fixed electrode for long-term switching. It is possible to provide a movable electrode member that can realize a switch that operates reliably and has good key touch, and has great effects.

“Brief explanation of the drawings: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a keyboard device related to a key switch obtained by the manufacturing method according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view thereof, and Figs. 3 a-e are according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of one manufacturing method, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional example.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A soft elastic material such as a sponge adhered to the lower surface of a pressing operation member having a key on the upper part via an adhesive, and a fixed electrode attached to the lower surface of the soft elastic material with an adhesive and provided on a substrate. A method for manufacturing a movable electrode member of a key switch, which is composed of a movable electrode plate made of a conductive thin film facing the fixed electrode, and which performs a switching operation between the fixed electrode and the fixed electrode by a pressing operation of a pressing operation member. A first step of thermally welding a thin film made of a material that does not permeate the adhesive to both upper and lower surfaces of the soft elastic material, and bonding one surface of the soft elastic material on which the thin film is formed and the surface of a sheet-shaped movable electrode plate. a second step of forming a plurality of first adhesive patterns by printing and applying an adhesive in a predetermined pattern at multiple locations on one of the surfaces; a third step of bonding the soft elastic material and the movable electrode plate to each other; and a surface of either the surface of the soft elastic material opposite to the surface to which the movable electrode is bonded or the surface of the sheet-like sealing member. a fourth step of forming a second adhesive pattern by printing and applying an adhesive so as to match the first adhesive pattern at multiple locations; a fifth step of bonding the material and the sealing member, and adhering the soft elastic material, movable electrode plate, and sealing member that were bonded to each other in the third and fifth steps around each of the first and second adhesive patterns; a sixth step of punching each electrode member vertically to a size having a peripheral edge where no adhesive is present, and forming the electrode member through the second adhesive pattern remaining after peeling off the sealing member; A method for manufacturing a movable electrode member of a key switch, comprising a seventh step of adhering to the lower surface of the pressing operation member.